Brennan: ‘I Wouldn’t Be Surprised’ if More Mueller Indictments Come on Friday

JEFF POOR5 Mar 2019

Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” former CIA Director John Brennan, who is also an MSNBC contributor, said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if more indictments were to come out of the Department of Justice probe headed up by former FBI Director Robert Mueller on Friday.

Brennan, who caveated his remarks by noting he had not inside knowledge, observed the second anniversary of the probe was coming up, which could mean the end of the probe was near. He also pointed out that indictments tend to come on Fridays, and that he didn’t think Mueller would hand anything down on March 15, which is the next Friday.

Based on that, he said this Friday could be the day for more indictments.

Partial transcript as follows:

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL, MSNBC HOST ‘LAST WORD’: Are you one who’s willing to, at this stage of the game, venture a guess about where Robert Mueller is and isn’t in this process and how close he is to filing a report? And beyond that, what would you would expect from such a report?

BRENNAN: I think Robert Mueller wants to be able to conclude his work and turn over the investigative threads to the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of Virginia, and other jurisdictions as appropriate as we’re coming up to two years. So I think he does want to conclude that.

I wouldn’t be surprised if for example this week on Friday, not knowing anything about it, but Friday is the day the grand jury indictments come down, and also this Friday is better than next Friday because next Friday is the 15th of March, which is the Ides of March. And I don’t think Robert Mueller will want to have that dramatic flair of the Ides of March when he is going to be delivering what I think are going to be are his indictments, the final indictments as well the report he gives to the Attorney General.

O’DONNELL: What makes you believe that he has more indictments?

BRENNAN: Because he hasn’t addressed the issues related to criminal conspiracy as well as individuals —

O’DONNELL: A criminal conspiracy involving the Russians?

BRENNAN: Yes. I think it was very —

O’DONNELL: That’s an area you know something about. That was developing while you were still on the job.

BRENNAN: Well, it was in terms of looking at what was going on with the Russians and whether or not U.S. persons were actively collaborating, colluding, cooperating and involved in a conspiracy with them or not but also if there is going to be any member of the Trump family —

O’DONNELL: Did you see enough at that stage to believe that there would now, that that would result in indictments once investigated?

BRENNAN: I thought at the time there was going to be individuals who were going to have issues with the Department of Justice. Yes. And I think we’ve already seen a number of individuals who have been indicted, either have pled guilty or have been convicted now.

So again, I don’t have any inside knowledge. I’m not talking with anybody in the special counsel’s office.

O’DONNELL: Yes, you do. You have the inside knowledge of what began it all.

BRENNAN: Not about the status of the investigation now but I do think also if anybody from the Trump family, extended family is going to be indicted, it would be the final act of Mueller’s investigation because Bob Muller and his team knows if he were to do something, indicting a Trump family member or if he were to go forward with indictment on criminal conspiracy involving U.S. persons, that would be that would basically be the death knell of the special counsel’s office because I don’t believe Donald Trump would allow Bob Mueller to continue in the aftermath of those types of actions.